Local News & Sports

Gas prices stable
    The price of regular self-serve gasoline in New Brunswick has remained steady this week at 99.1a litre. However, both diesel and furnace oil are up a bit this week. The new top price for diesel is $1.05.5 a litre, which is an increase of three-tenths of a cent over last week's setting. Furnace oil is up four-tenths of a cent to a new maximum of 89.6 a litre.

Policing decision deadline approaches
    The mayor of Moncton says their self-imposed policing decision deadline remains the end of this month. However, George LeBlanc says they're still waiting for word from Ottawa on whether the Codiac partners will receive a 10 per cent rebate on R-C-M-P costs like what other Canadian municipalities get. He says they -might- delay the decision again if that information is still unavailable.

Chamber asks for lower business taxes
    Members of the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce have spoken -- and their top priority for this provincial election campaign is to see the parties commit to lower business taxes. Chamber members say that would improve the climate for business investment and expansion. Also ranking high is putting more resources into post-secondary training for key sectors.

Common Front disappointed with lack of poverty measures
    The Common Front for Social Justice says it's disappointed that New Brunswick's political parties -- with the exception of the Green Party -- are not making the reduction of poverty a key election issue. The Common Front's Linda McCaustlin says one in seven people in the province are poor, from those in low-paying jobs, to social assistance recipients, to seniors. The Greens' pitch of a livable wage and to raise social assistance rates gets high marks from the Common Front.

Campaign trail
    Progressive Conservative leader David Alward has appealed to the post-secondary vote in Bathurst. He promises more bursary money, tuition stability for students and grant stability for colleges and universities, and making sure training programs reflect the job market. Alward says the youth of New Brunswick deserve the best chance for success.
    Premier Shawn Graham says a re-elected Liberal government will keep attracting doctors and specialists to the province by making sure health-care equipment is the best it can be. Graham says they will implement a plan where medical equipment is automatically upgraded on a schedule -- an asset management strategy -- which he says would take the politics out of these decisions. Graham spoke in Saint John.
    Leader of the New Democrats, Roger Duguay is critical of Liberal and Tory spending promises. An N-D-P election ad suggests the parties are threatening to push the province off the debt cliff. Duguay calls it a desperate bidding war to buy votes.

FotoExpo returns
    FotoExpo is back this fall in downtown Moncton. The second annual photographic arts festival will take place from October 28th to the 31st. 200 amateur and professional photographers attended last year's inaugural festival and it's expected to grow this year with the addition of several leading photographers from across Canada here for the event. To register or for more information you can go to www.fotoexpo.ca".

Dieppe seeks youth advisory committee
    The City of Dieppe is seeking ten students from grades 8 to 12 who would like to get involved in the community by serving on an advisory committee for youth. Those interested must have been permanent residents of dieppe for at least three months, sincerely want to represent their peers in the municipality, and be ready to get involved on a volunteer basis with the advisory committee. If your interested in applying you can do so by filling out an application form at dieppe.ca or by contacting Sonya Babineau with the City of Dieppe at 877-79 hundred. 

Job boom ahead
    Local job seekers will be heartened by this news. The latest Manpower Employment Outlook shows that 40-percent of employers in the Moncton area plan to hire for the upcoming quarter...October through December. The survey indicates 60 percent of employers expect to maintain their staffing levels and no employers polled are anticipating cutbacks. Mindy Stoltz of Manpower's Moncton Office says the net employment outlook of 40 is up from last year at this time when it was ten percent, indicating a dynamic hiring climate over the next three months...with the best prospects in  mining and manufacturing.

Wildcats season begins!
    The Moncton Wildcats begin their regular season Thursday night in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Cats will host Acadie-Bathurst at 7 o'clock at the Moncton Coliseum. The Wildcats will hold a tailgate party prior to the game, as well as a pre-game ceremony raising the championship banner and marking the beginning of their milestone 15th season.

Mets - Islanders game goes Friday
     Game five in the New Brunswick Senior Baseball League semi-final series between the Moncton Mets and the Charlottetown Islanders will be played Friday night at Kiwanis Park. The game was postponed for two nights in a row because of rain and wet field conditions. The best of seven series is tied at two games apiece.